The NASCAR schedule for the 2026 season is still being finalized, but a few key race locations have been revealed and a few more spots won't be back on the docket next season. There might even be changes involving North Wilkesboro Speedway in 2026.
In the latest session of ' Ask Jr ', Dale Earnhardt Jr. said he'd love it if the schedule next year included a full-points race at North Wilkesboro. He then added with a smile that perhaps it could be on the TNT portion of the broadcast schedule.
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"I think it would be badass for Wilkesboro to be a points race in the summer and I would get to broadcast it…maybe in the TNT portion of the year."
Earnhardt is no stranger to letting some things slip before they are publicly announced. We're also just a few weeks away from next season's Cup Series schedule being officially released, with NASCAR's television partners likely well aware of many of the assignments they'll have.
North Wilkesboro has hosted the NASCAR All-Star Race since 2023. While it's hosted plenty of quality races and drawn sizable crowds, it hasn't hosted a points race for the Cup Series in 30 years. However, drivers and fans have made it clear they'd love a points-eligible race there.
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"I don't see why not. I think it's plenty capable of hosting, and obviously, the crowd seems extremely receptive to the idea, too. Whatever NASCAR decides on that, I'm good with. It put on a good race for sure, so it's hard to argue against that."
The hint from Earnhardt Jr. adds to the growing list of rumors and buzz about changes to the schedule next season. Iowa Speedway could be on the chopping block, and it's been confirmed that NASCAR won't return to Mexico City nor the Chicago Street Race in 2026.
If North Wilkesboro becomes a points race in the summer, then some other track would likely be shifted to host the All-Star Race in 2026. With Chicagoland reportedly returning next season and two road courses taken off the slate, the possibility of Wilkesboro becoming a points race should make drivers happier about how next season's schedule will look.
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